Yesterday, Gina rode a big kid bike for the first time. She was not at all happy about the idea of riding something other than her Dora tricycle but after much convincing she tried it and loved it. She got the hang of it really quickly and was able to pedal without help after just a few minutes. Next step is losing the training wheels!

We wish all of our friends and family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Below is a 2011 year in review video. Enjoy!

This year, the Smith family came down to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. Alex and Gina had a really great time playing with the Smith kids and we all enjoyed some delicious food. This was Alex’s first Thanksgiving since being diagnosed with T1D and overall, things went smoothly. Alex and Gina still have no interest in pie, so lucky for them there was ice cream too. Additional Thanksgiving photos are available here.

by Debbie

For a good portion of my adult life, Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday. It’s a pure holiday, not focused on material goods. It’s a day to be grateful for all that you have while enjoying the company of friends and family as well as delicious food and football, all things I hold dear. This year, one might think it would be harder to be thankful because the last few months have been so hard. Although this time has been very stressful and hard on us emotionally and financially, I am more thankful than ever.

First, I am thankful for the invention of insulin because without it, Alex might not be with us anymore. I am thankful for all of the support, encouragement and offers of help we received while Alex was in the hospital. I am grateful for the many people who have said “if you need anything, please let me know” over the last few months. I am thankful for friends who have taken Gina to school or had her for a play date so I can take Alex to his numerous and lengthy doctor’s appointments. I am thankful that we live in a city with a wonderful diabetes clinic and a doctor available at anytime during the night to talk by phone. I am grateful for very supportive and accommodating camp counselors, teachers and school personnel who have taken such great care of Alex and helped to keep his life as normal as possible. I am thankful for Alex’s friends and classmates who pray for him and look out for him when he’s not feeling well but otherwise treat him exactly the same. I am also thankful that I was blessed with such an amazing, brave and funny boy who has handled this diagnosis and lifestyle change mostly with ease. I am grateful that Gina, who could be bitter about all of this has become a caregiver to her big brother, helping with his blood sugar checks and treating lows or highs. I am also grateful for Gina’s health and pray that she stays free of diabetes. I am thankful to have a spouse who doesn’t expect me to do everything, even though I am usually the primary caregiver, which I’ve come to find out is not always the case for moms in this situation. I am grateful that Greg’s company offers a pretty great health insurance program and that Alex’s diagnosis didn’t happen a year earlier when Greg was temporarily unemployed. I also greatly appreciate all of our friends and family who generously donated time and money to support us during our participation in the JDRF walk.

Finally, I am grateful for the many researchers working toward the cure, prevention and better maintenance of this dreaded disease. I look forward to the day when Alex will celebrate Thanksgiving and be able to enjoy a huge plate of turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing without having to think about every carb on his plate or worrying about how much insulin he needs to cover it.

I wish all of my friends and family a very Happy Thanksgiving.

February may be the shortest month on the calendar, but November feels like the shortest and seems to be over in the blink of an eye.  Below are a few photos taken this month.

On November 12th, despite a cold and rainy day, we walked in our first JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes. We were grateful that several of our friends braved the rain to join us on the walk and were so appreciative of our friends and family who generously donated over $3,500 to the JDRF in support of our team, Alex’s Diabetes Superheroes. Below is a photo of our team. Additional photos are available here.

Each year, Alex’s school hosts a fun run to raise money for the P.E. program. Despite battling a cold and blood sugar issues all week, Alex was able to complete 43 laps and got this cool t-shirt. He was so glad he didn’t have to miss it. He was really looking forward to it. Thanks to Grandma for sponsoring him in the fun run.

Alex always says that October is his favorite month of the year and this year has been no exception. In addition to his birthday and Halloween, there were lots of fun activities to participate in, which kept us really busy. Early in October, we participated in the Hope for Hannah race. Alex had some trouble with the 5K due to high blood sugar issues but was able to do the kids fun run with Gina and their friend Cole after he was feeling better. This was Gina’s first time running in a race and she had a blast.

In mid-October, we attended the Country Fair at Gina’s school. The kids got to play games, play on jumpers and go in a pumpkin patch. At the end of the day, Gina got bit by a goat in the petting zoo. Luckily it was an accident and not too serious but Gina may not be going to a petting zoo again anytime soon. Later in the month, Gina also had Pumpkin Patch Day and a Fall Festival Day at school.

Shortly before Alex’s birthday, he was able to attend a friend’s birthday party at a local speedway. Alex said this was one of the coolest things he ever did and it was a really fun party. A few days later Alex celebrated his 7th birthday. He was surprised by Puma Paws in our front yard and enjoyed some cookies with his friends at school. After school there were presents, frittata (Alex’s birthday request) and cupcakes. On the Saturday after his birthday, Alex enjoyed a Rock & Roll Birthday party with his friends.

Next up was the Fall Carnival at Alex’s school and Halloween. The kids had a lot of fun on both of these nights. The carnival included a Haunted Hallway this year and Alex loved it, it was hard to get him out of there. Gina refused to wear her Halloween costume because she was worried about it getting dirty at the carnival, so she wore yer Supergirl costume from 2 years ago. On Halloween night, we had fun at a bbq with some friends in the neighborhood before trick-or-treating. Thankfully Alex’s blood sugar cooperated after being all over the place for 2 days. Alex the Vampire and Super Gina Ballerina had a great time getting candy and hanging out with their friends.